MailChimp announced a big change. Learn how it will affect you.

MailChimp users, have you looked at your emails yet? All users should have received an email yesterday providing information on the upcoming changes. October 31st will be the effective date, and that means that you have a choice to make by then.

For those who aren’t familiar, MailChimp is an email service provider like AWeber or MailerLite. It helps you build your email list, and as a writer/author, you definitely should have one. If you haven’t started building your email list, now would be the time to start and not when your book is ready, but this is a different conversation about your Author Platform.

MailChimp is making some changes on October 31st. Learn what they are and what you need to do.

What’s the message?

I have to admit that I was surprised by the change. I had a conversation a few months back with someone from CustomerSservice and they pride themselves on having double opt-in setup.

First, here is the message.

What does that mean for you?

Your current setting will default to single opt-in on October 31st. Single opt-in means that a subscriber only needs to fill out the opt-in form with an email address to be on your list. Some users might be happy with the change, but some won’t.

There are a few things that need to be taken into consideration. From where I stand, I see three options:

Option #1:

You were happy with the double opt-in setting and do not want to change it. That means that all your new subscribers will need to enter their email address on a form available on your site (or somewhere else), and then, go to the email in their inbox to confirm the subscription. If this is what you want, then the solution is fairly simple. All you need to do is to confirm the double opt-in setting before it takes effect on October 31st.

I explain how to do this a little later, but make sure to do this rapidly because the welcome email might not be available to your new subscribers after that date. In other words, if you provide a link to a guide or a course in your welcome email, the new subscribers won’t receive it if you don’t take that step before the deadline.

So, act now!

Option #2:

Single opt-in or double opt-in? You’re not sure what difference it makes for you.

The first thing to consider is whether you’re offering several lead magnets or simply a newsletter. If you have several offers, maybe it’s time to create groups. You can then determine when to use the single opt-in option, and if it’s appropriate for you.

Word of caution: Single opt-in will make subscribing to your list easier, especially for giveaways, sweepstakes and so forth, but for a newsletter, you may want to stick with the double opt-in setting.

Why? Because you want to connect with your audience, meaning people engaged and interested in what you’re offering.

If you’re not doing this, you might experience primarily three things. First, emails may not be entered properly, resulting in a high bounce back rate. Second, subscribers may not remember what they signed up for and will unsubscribe shortly after. Finally, scammers (not all people are good on the internet) may add other people to your list when they shouldn’t be there. Double opt-in is a way to protect your subscribers and yourself from them. You may end up with the wrong people on your email list, and ultimately this is not what you want.

You want to make sure that the people who subscribe to your email list meant to receive your newsletter, course or whatever you’re offering. They need to be genuinely interested, and when they are, they will take that extra step to confirm their email.

Option #2 may give you an opportunity to reconsider your list. Creating groups has the advantage to increase your open rate because your list will be tailored to what your subscribers want.

Option #3:

You’re happy with single opt-in, and that’s the way you want to go. That’s also perfectly fine if it makes sense to your business, but keep in mind what I mentioned in option #2. You want to make sure that your list attracts the right audience for you and your business.

What do you need to do?

Go to your MailChimp account, and save your Signup Preferences. Personally, I typed under Help, “Double Opt-In,” and if you scroll down, you’ll see the box shown below. Hit Signup Preferences, and it will prompt you to select ONLY the lists you want to KEEP with a double opt-in setting.

That’s it! But do it before October 31st, if you want to keep it the way it is right now. The process is simple, but it could become a nightmare if you don’t handle it before next week.

Anything else I may have missed, please feel free to comment. I’m all for painless changes.